Greg Rousseau primed for a standout sophomore season
Greg Rousseau is headed into his second season in the NFL and is ready to make an even bigger impact than he did last year for the Bills. Rousseau impressed in his first season and is primed for another season full of growth and impact at defensive end.
Rousseau, drafted by the Bills out of the University of Miami in the first round (30th overall) in the 2021 Draft, was a big reason why the Bills were the number one defense in 2021. His presence on the edge was felt, as he finished fifth in the NFL in run stop win rate among edge defenders. He also pressured opposing QBs a fair amount, too.
He played in all 17 regular season games as a rookie, posting 50 total tackles, 42 solo tackles, 8 assisted tackles, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception (enjoy the interception below👇).
With the additions of Von Miller, Shaq Lawson, Jordan Phillips, DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle on the d-line, the Bills defense should produce more pressures in the passing game and more stops up front in the running game. Rousseau should be able to feed off of and learn a lot from the veteran group, especially Von Miller.
Training Camp
Rousseau, Boogie Basham, and A.J. Epenesa are a few young pass rushers to keep an eye on as Bills camp rolls along. With all of the talk of how much havoc Von Miller and Ed Oliver will create together on the d-line this year, Rousseau is sort of being overlooked on the unit. He’s more than capable of getting to the QB himself, but with those two attracting attention and constantly penetrating into the backfield, it should leave a ton of opportunities for Rousseau to clean up the mess. This training camp, he’s continuing to try and perfect his game and use his big frame (6’6”, 267 lbs) to his advantage. And, Miller is making sure to leave an impression on the 22-year old.
Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds recently stated, “You see a lot of other guys playing at a high level… hats off to Greg (Rousseau) and Boogie (Basham) and a lot of the young guys that put in hard work this offseason, and it’s showing out there. They’re stronger, faster and they’re playing more confident, and it’s ultimately going to help the defense out.”
Rousseau will most certainty shine this year in many aspects of the game. He’s ready to take the next step in his career and help the Bills get to the promise land, and don’t be surprised if he doubles his sack total in the process.